See headstone and info at Find A Grave Memorial ID 59219938
Bruckner Bible and written in German has her name as Wilhelmina Eva
WRITTEN BY MRS. EVA HERPICH 1967
When I was about 5 or 6 years old, my sister Sophia who was two years younger than I, were out playing in the yard. We had a cistern located under the summer kitchen floor. We had no pump on the cistern so we drew water out with a bucket to do our laundry. My sister Minnie had been drawing water from the cistern with a bucket. Sophia and I came running and hurriedly, Sophia slipped right into the cistern.
I ran to tell mother and sister Hattie. The came but did not know what to do but brother John was in the yard repairing some harness. He came and studied a minute then said, mother and Hattie, if you can hold me by my arms, I will drop down and get her by my feet. There was about six feet of water in the cistern. We could see her floating on the water. So John let himself down and caught her with his feet, just under her chin, then Hattie reached down and pulled her out and also supporting John by his arms. In this way they got her out.
Sister Sophia was cold and unconscious for several hours or all night and for a long time after that she did not grow an inch. One day an old country doctor came along with a little bag and he stayed all night with us. As we sat at the table he looked around at all of us and asked what was the matter with the little girl? So mother told him of the accident. He gave mother a prescription to get filled and give to her. Otherwise she might not live very many more years. After taking the medicine for awhile, she commenced to grow.
Brother August was born May 27, 1893. I was 7 years old. Six weeks after August was born, brother John left home. Mother was still weak and sick but she searched everywhere for him. Finally an old friend, Billy Davis, can to tell us John was working for him on his farm and that he was okay. He finely came home but stayed only a few days. The in October, same year, he came home and he was sick.
Mother and Hattie took care of him and had Doctor Money come see him. He said he had typhoid fever and mother and Hattie both took the fever from him. Then the rest of the family came down one by one. At one time five of us were in bed at the same time. The family all had the fever except Father, Anna and Charlie. Brother George was working away from home at the time so did not get it. The neighbors were awfully good and came to help with the chores but no one could come in to see us. I remember on Thanksgiving Day I could have my first piece of chicken breast.
John Herpich was working for Mrs. McKinley on her farm, near our farm, at the time. He was the first one to come to see us. He always went to see the sick and he never contracted anything. In fact, he never had any of the children's diseases such as measles or whopping cough. Then he had both of them when his children had them, but all pulled through without the loss of one. Only the Lord saved us.
I remember when Jake Yakle lost his right hand in the year of 1896. He was working for Mr. Lester Dreyer out north of Delavan. They were running a feed chopping machine. Fred Baker, a neighbor, lost his left hand in the machine while chopping feed at the Dreyer Farm and then in a few days Jake lost his right hand in the same machine. He stayed at the Dreyers home and the Dreyers, neighbors and friends were all so good to help care for him.
Sister Hattie was also working for the Dreyers at the same time. She and Minnie Baker took turns at setting up with him during the nites. Then on February 25th 1897 Hattie and Jake were married at the home of her parents, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Bruckner, near Delavan, Kansas.